Wednesday, October 23, 2013

DAY 522 - How Do You Do with The Cancer Cells in Your Church? (請按此處收聼廣東話Cantonese podcast click here)


**NEW link for the  15th: 13th 100 days 24 hours prayer campaign (We are going to use this 13th list leads up to the 15th. 13th from March 15 to June 22, 2013. 14th from June 22 to August 31, 2013, 15th from Sept. 1, 2013 to Dec. 9. 2013)

                               Today's Reading: 1 Corinthians 5:6-13
** If you would like to learn a simple and good way of Daily Devotion method please read my “Count Down 5” from my Devotion on Fire blog:
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To use this simple and good way of Daily Devotion method please click this link:
 .Subject Shifting Devotion.pdf

Please click this link to read 1 Corinthians 5:6-13

Bible Study

     Paul continued his judgment on the man who had sex with his step mother and commanded the church at Corinth to expel that man. In this line of thoughts, Paul gives a very serious warning about the consequence of allowing the sin of sex and other sins to spread within the church. Paul makes it very clear that he is not talking about we as Christians should not have non-Christian friends or even sinners. We need to lead them to Christ so that they are being saved. Paul is pointing to those who are in the church but living a sinful life.

Bishop N.T. Wright says ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/N._T._Wright ) :
     What they need instead, Paul insists, is the 'unleavened bread' of genuine Christian living. We might have expected him to explain that as 'holiness' or 'purity', but instead he speaks of 'sincerity' and 'truth'. ..The word 'sincerity' Paul uses speaks of a purity of motive...The mention of 'truth' indicates that at the heart of all misbehaviour there is a lie: the lie that says God doesn't mind, the lie that pretends this one time doesn't matter, the easy but deadly lie that imagines that this was after all how humans were supposed to behave...

      Do we want a doctor who 'tolerates' viruses, bacteria, cancer cells?  And if we say that the moral issues Paul mentions in verse 11 are not like diseases, are we so sure?  Do these things build up a community, or destroy it? 
     
N.T. Wright. Paul for Everyone:1 Corinthians. Louisville,KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2004, p.61-62.

      Do you agree with Paul that the sin of sex and other sins are like cancer cells that should not be tolerated? What is this kind of warning means to you?



Let's have a time to be still and give the Holy Spirit space to speak through the passage of scripture we have just read. Offer this time up to Jesus as you listen to him, while listening to "Gabriel's Oboe":  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jmax47l2hLU

Spiritual Journal

    What I heard from Jesus today is: How do you do with the cancer cells in your church?

    What I got from Jesus today is a question for us to think of. First, what are the cancer cells. It is clear in this passage that the cancer cell that Paul is talking is about the man had sex with his step-mother and beyond. So, how about other sins? Like, sex outside marriage, sexual harassment or other unacceptable sexual behaviour? Paul even mentions those greedy, idolater, slanderer, drunkard and swindler. What is the limit of your church to tolerate? Do we give chance? How many chances? It is really a complicated question.

    But, it is also a simple question. Do you believe the more you are closer to Jesus the less possible you will step into those kind of traps and bondages?

 Dear Lord Jesus,
Help us to be able to come close to you each day as our Lord, Saviour and King so that we have less chance to step into the traps and bondages concerning with sex. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.

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10,000 Reasons (Bless the Lord) Matt Redman
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